Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it.”
CONOCE A NUESTRA FAMILIA EXTENDIDA:
meet our extended family
Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian (Feast Day September 16)
d. 253, 258
St. Cornelius was elected to succeed St. Fabian as the Bishop of Rome (pope), after Fabian was killed in a persecution in the year 250. The Church faced not only persecution, but also opposition from within. A priest named Novatian denied the Church’s authority to forgive apostacy. Novatian and his followers believed that those who renounced the faith could not be accepted back into the Church even if they had repented. Novatian had himself consecrated as a rival Bishop of Rome, thereby becoming an anti-pope. St. Cornelius called a council of bishops together to settle the dispute. The council condemned Novatian’s view. Pope Cornelius, backed by St. Cyprian and other bishops, upheld the Church’s teaching, and allowed sinners to do penance and return to the Church. In 253, St. Cornelius was exiled by the authorities, and died a martyr soon afterward.
St. Cyprian was a famous lawyer and orator in North Africa. He didn’t become a Christian until age forty-six, then later became a priest and the bishop of Carthage. St. Cyprian went into hiding during the Roman persecution of 250, to allow himself to continue ministering to his people. He, like Cornelius, had to deal with the beliefs of Novatian. During this time another priest took over his position and then forgave all those who renounced the faith without requiring any penance of them at all. This position was too lenient, and Cyprian succeeded in having it condemned by the Church. New persecutions broke out under Emperor Valerian. St. Cyprian was arrested and tried for being a Christian. When he was read his death sentence, he exclaimed “Blessed be God!” He was martyred in 258.
TOMA TIEMPO PARA COMPARTIR
Take time to chat
⦁ How would you describe Jesus to someone who does not know him?
⦁ What was the reaction of the disciples when Jesus told him about his passion, death and resurrection? Do you think they were confused?
⦁ Why was it important for Peter to not impede God’s plan?
⦁ What strikes you about the story of Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian?